


Happy Birthday, Soleil.

by ghost_of_stardust



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Angst, Birthright Route, happy birthday :')
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-31
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-12-22 07:25:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11962566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghost_of_stardust/pseuds/ghost_of_stardust





	Happy Birthday, Soleil.

Her first birthday she can't remember, but her mother tells her it was a day full of joy, and Soleil’s first words: “Mommy,” “daddy”, and “happy.”

The second was the same, but with a little more chatter from the child. 

The third is the first one she can recall memories from: music, laughter, dancing with her father, and a lovely new dress as a present. She still keeps the dress, even if it doesn't fit anymore. 

The fourth and fifth she spent lonely, not celebrating with her parents but rather some caretakers in the royal castle. Something about a war with Hoshido keeping her parents away. 

Her sixth birthday she remembers well. Her mother brought her favorite cake and her father brought wooden swords- the type used for training and practice. “You can learn to fight like me, just how you always wanted,” he had said, and she swore that that was the best moment of her little life. Her parents spent a few months with her afterwards until the training duty was passed to her caretakers again. 

The seventh through eleventh birthdays all were similar. A celebration was held as usual, and she and her father would spar to see her progress in swordplay. Each time she would lose, but the encouragement that came still pushed her to do her best: “Keep a smile on your face, Soleil, and don't quit! You’ll be better than me some day.”

The twelfth came with a gift of a lance from her mother, and the child enthusiastically mastered it along with the sword. 

On her thirteenth birthday, she finally won against her father. The following celebration was the biggest one yet. 

The fourteenth and fifteenth, she was again left alone by her parents’ absence, and she longed to join them so they wouldn't have to be separate on a birthday again. 

On the sixteenth she got her wish. Her skills in lance and sword were both incredible, and her parents both were proud to bring her along to fight, though worried about her getting hurt. She assured them with a smile that she’d be fine. “Those Hoshidans won't stand a chance against my skills!”

The seventeenth was marked with horror. 

Word of the Hoshidan army invading the castle travelled quickly to her parents. The horrified couple warned Soleil to stay inside her quarters and lock the door. They wouldn't let her come with them to fight, no matter how much she begged. 

“We need you safe, baby,” Peri had said. 

“After all, if we’re both dead, who will light up the world with sunny smiles?” Laslow asked. 

Soleil understood and followed their instructions, and cried as soon as they went off. 

All through the day, the child's ears were filled with the raging sounds of battle and chaos. It went for hours, and Soleil sobbed, waiting and waiting for the inevitable quiet and the hope of her parents coming back to tell her everything was okay. 

The silence came, but they never did. 

After another few hours passed, Soleil came out of her room, carrying both of her weapons with her just in case. She crept through the halls of the castle, passing fallen soldiers that she assumed were Nohrian and Hoshidan alike. A few of the bodies she swore were familiar, sending chills through her body. 

Not seeing any sign of her parents, she called out to them a few times. A mistake, she realized, when she was nearly spotted by a few Hoshidans that were roaming the otherwise silent halls. That's when it hit her. 

“If Hoshidans are patrolling, they must have won.”

She immediately took off running. The Hoshidans must have won, which means her parents would be hurt, or in danger, or… No. She blinked away the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes and forced a smile onto her face. She can't assume them dead yet, they're strong, they'll be fine. She searched every inch of the castle, stopping dead in her tracks as she finally found them. 

Laslow and Peri sat together, fingers laced together, with their backs against the castle wall. Surrounding them was a mess of dried red blood. Judging by the lack of anyone else nearby, it was theirs. 

Soleil dropped to her knees, tears falling and splattering against the stone floor of the hallway. She stared in horror at the scene before her, willing herself to wake up from this obvious nightmare… but to no avail. Hysterical, she slammed her hands on the floor, the repeated force causing a little of her own blood to join theirs in the mess. It took nearly an hour for her to calm down. 

With a final slam into the ground, her fingers brushed against a soft, familiar fabric. She weakly grasped it, blinking repeatedly to see through the cloud of tears. The item in question was white stained with red, a sight she usually loved, but at the moment it made her want to throw up. 

Her mother’s ribbon. She's have to wash that later, she supposed, tying it into her hair anyways. 

“Mommy, Daddy… I know you can't hear me, but I love you. I’ll avenge you, I swear. I'll make you happy.” She gave a weak smile, knowing that's what her parents would want to see. 

The smile grew to a bloodthirsty grin as she rose to her feet, readying both weapons for a fight. It was time she gave these Hoshidans what they deserved, and she hoped her hair color and the ribbon would give away exactly who she was fighting for. 

Rumors soon spread of an unrecognized soldier who wiped out the majority of the remaining Hoshidan army that day. None were said to have lived to identify the stranger. 

\--

As the years went by, Soleil never celebrated another birthday, as the day now held a much darker meaning for her. Her days were spent simply working as a cold mercenary for hire, which became her only reason for life. 

She couldn't even bring herself to smile much, anymore.


End file.
